Settling in Seattle

Chapter 6- Heartbeat

Rachel's eyes slowly shifted open, as she awoke from a deep slumber she felt an arm around her waist. Her husband was holding her tight, and she savoured it. The memories from last night imploded her brain, she smiled like an idiot, and glanced over to Mike, who was still sleeping soundly. Rachel gently lifted his arm back onto the mattress as she felt the sickness rise into her mouth from her stomach. Grimacing, she swiftly moved from the bed to the bathroom, where she emptied out her guts. She felt a warm hand rubbing her bare back as she sprawled over the toilet, Mike held her hair out of her face as she tried her best to cope with the morning sickness. When she was done he helped her clean up, and they both jumped into the shower, after Rachel's protest.

They were soon downstairs, ready for work.

"Rach, if you can't face work today, if you're too sick, you can always stay here, I can come and call in on you at lunch?" Mike proposed whilst eating cereal, as he watched Rachel pinch between her eyebrows.

"No, it eases after around ten, and plus, I'm going to have to take maternity leave for ages once the baby is cooked!" She looked at Mike who let out a small laugh, he made his way to stand in front of his wife.

"You are amazing. If it's too much you can come back here. The doctor's appointment is at six, so we have to leave early anyway. Rachel, you're going to make an amazing mother."

"Mike, you're going to make a superb father!" Their heads touched as Mike held Rachel's hands.

"I'm really nervous. Nine months is a long time, I'm not sure I have it in me." Rachel closed her eyes for a moment, gulping.

"Hey, you have it in you. You're so strong, you're so ready for this. After this doctor appointment tonight, we'll find out how far along you are, and then we can decide when we tell people, and who we want to tell. We're going to nail parenthood." Mike smiled to make her feel at least a little bit better.

"Okay, there's just one more thing. What's going to happen with work?"

"We'll do as much as we can, when we can. It'll be okay. I have Jimmy and Oliver on standby for when I have to be gone for a bit with a new born. The clinic will handle itself in appointments." Rachel kissed Mike softly, and wiped off the remanence of her lip gloss on his lips, before fastening his tie slightly more centrally.

"Thanks, mom. See, you're a natural!" Mike joked, and she playfully smacked his arm, standing up and bracing to put her heels on.

"So, Mr and Mrs Ross," Rachel's eyes glistened at Mike, "It looks like you're at around nine weeks. Still in the first trimester, twelve weeks is usually the start of the second, that's when the morning sickness really subsides, and things get a lot less of a risk. But of course, there is always a risk, just so you're prepared. Would you like to hear the heartbeat now?"

"Yes please." Rachel looked down at her stomach intrigued, still squeezing Mike's hand, as he sat and watched next to her. The doctor turned the speaker on and they heard their little baby's heart beating. Rachel glanced up at Mike, who's eyes were filled with tears, matching Rachel.

"It's beautiful." The doctor took a couple of shots of the baby and printed them for the couple. He then took some bloods, finishing off the appointment. Rachel got cleaned up and they left, hand in hand, having seen their child.

"What do you reckon, boy or girl?" Rachel asked Mike as he clipped in his seatbelt and Rachel gripped the steering wheel.

"Are you kidding?! You could barely see a head in those photos! I have no idea!" Rachel laughed as she backed out of the parking spot.

"Nine weeks hey, that means you were pregnant when we were married!" Mike smiled proudly.

"What? Why are you smiling like that?" Rachel looked over at him for a brief moment as they stopped at a red light.

"Nothing! It also means the baby was conceived on the kitchen tab..."

"Alright! Ohmygod, you're such an idiot!" Rachel couldn't help but smile at her dork of a husband. She thought back to that night. "Wait, I thought we were safe that time?"

"Well, I can't really remember, I was too focussed on your..."

"Oookay, I got it. Now let's go home." She shook her head nonchalantly and drove.

"You know you can't get pregnant while you're pregnant." Mike stated to Rachel, as she rolled her eyes and told him to shut up.

"I am aware of that yes." She laughed as he turned up the radio and started moving his head around. "I hate you!"

He turned it up further and she started tapping her fingers to I Feel Like A Woman.

'I know!" Mike shouted over the music, jolting his knee up and down, singing out the chorus. Rachel stared at him as they hit another red, laughing at his over the top dancing.

"You're ten years old I swear." She murmured and smiled at his messing about. This life was going to be a crazy one.